"It is of utmost importance that we recognize and nurture all of the varied human intelligences, and all the combinations of intelligences. ... If we recognize this, I think we will have at least a better chance of dealing appropriately with the many problems that we face in the world." - Howard Gardner, 1987 (Armstrong, 2000)

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES SURVEYLooking at the students in your classroom, they are all so different! Some children are timid, some bold. Some like to observe, some are more active. Some children like dinosaurs, some like dolls. Some children can hear something once and remember it while others need many repetitions. To some, music is soothing during quiet time, to others it is distracting.

Psychologist Howard Gardner suggests that each of these preferences actually represents a different type of intelligence. In his 1983 book Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, Gardner proposed that intelligence is not just a single intellectual capacity. Instead, he notes that there are nine different kinds of intelligence that can be nurtured and strengthened, or ignored and weakened. None of these intelligences work in isolation. All learners rely on more than one intelligence in each learning situation.Which intelligence do you use most often? Which of the intelligences are strongest for you. Click here for a quick assessment of your intelligences.